Evaporative cooling is a method of cooling a gas stream, usually air, by evaporating a liquid, usually water. The temperature of the air is reduced by introducing water vapor into it through evaporation. Water typically contains dissolved minerals, so when the water evaporates, minerals may be discharged in the form of a film or residue on the surface from which the water evaporated. The residue can accumulate over time resulting in scale-build up on the surface. As scale build-up increases, the effectiveness and efficiency of the evaporative cooling system decreases. Usually, the evaporative cooling system's ineffective hardware is replaced or cleaned. However, as evaporative cooling systems have become more expensive and/or more complex, these solutions are costly.